I've been wary of the danger of my littles ones mistaking laundry capsules for sweets ever since a GP and family friend told me how commonly she treats children who have mistakenly bitten into one of the liquid-filled capsules, suffering serious injuries.
So I wasn't surprised to read that at least one child every day mistakes a laundry capsule for a sweet - it's clearly time to raise awareness of the dangers of laundry gel capsules, and the importance of keeping laundry detergents well out of reach of little ones.
The Mail reports:
Toxic laundry capsules are being mistaken for sweets by at least one child every day, leaving them at risk of internal burns, breathing difficulties, temporary blindness and going into a coma. In a 'deeply alarming' trend, youngsters are attracted to the bright colours of the liquid or gel capsules, which contain a cocktail of harmful chemicals. A survey by the National Poisons Information Service found there were more than 2,000 recorded cases in five years – more than one a day, usually involving a child under five.
Biting into a laundry capsule isn't just inadvisable - it can be lethal, yet to young children laundry gel capsules can look and feel like sweets.
The Mail adds:
Sheila Merrill, public health adviser at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, added: 'All household chemicals should be stored either up high or in a lockable cupboard. Keep an eye out if you are doing the laundry while children are present too, as it only takes a second for them to get hold of one.'
Did you know about the dangers of laundry detergent capsules for kids?
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